Minister of Transport and Works, Michael Henry, has said that the Ministry is taking steps to increase its fleet of buses, and is in discussions with the Belgium government among others, in this regard. Mr. Henry was addressing a press briefing on (Jan. 30) at the Ministry’s Maxfield Avenue office, to announce details of the agreement reached between the Jamaica Urban Transit Company (JUTC) and the University and Allied Workers Union (UAWU), on the redundancy exercise for drivers and conductors. The Minister informed that he had received “the offer of 100 Volvo buses from the Belgians” which are being analyzed and tested. “We are discussing with them whether technically, they’ll (buses) meet our needs,” he explained. Mr. Henry said that while the offers received so far are for Volvo buses, final decision on the vendor will be subject to the standard Government-prescribed procurement procedures. The timeline for delivery of the buses, he said, will depend on the Ministry of Finance and Public Service confirming the loans, which he stated, “is a priority of Cabinet.” In the meantime, he said that a number of buses in the existing fleet will be rehabilitated and the target is to repair 20 buses per month. He informed that most of the spare parts for those buses in need of repair have already arrived. The JUTC has a fleet of 488 buses, and 188 of these are in need of repair. The Minister stated that 600 buses are needed in the system to maximize service and increase efficiency of the company’s operations.